New Delhi, India – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has conveyed his apologies to the Indian government for “child sex abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and errors in operating the platform,” according to government sources. The apology came after Joel Kaplan, Meta’s global head of public policy, met with officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday. The delegation, which also met IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, was summoned to explain the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video message posted on July 23.
In a statement shared by a Meta spokesperson, Kaplan said, “I apologised to the Minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post.” Government sources indicated that Meta was told it is “not covered under the Intermediary definition,” a significant statement that would make the company liable in court for user posts. The government also raised concerns about Instagram’s role in amplifying the Jantar Mantar protests and advertisements promoting CSAM. “They admitted that a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content. They apologised and regretted the mistake,” sources said.
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The meeting follows a letter from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP’s Nishikant Dubey, demanding that Google India’s safe harbour be lifted, citing cybercrime complaints linked to apps downloaded from Google Play. The committee also demanded an apology from Zuckerberg for Meta’s issues, warning that if he failed to tender an unqualified apology within three days, the protection under Section 79(3) of the IT Act could be withdrawn, making Meta liable as a publisher. However, legal experts noted that there is no express legal provision for the government to directly revoke safe harbour protection, which applies on a case-by-case basis.
The developments underscore the escalating tensions between the Indian government and global tech giants over content moderation, accountability, and legal liability. At a parliamentary hearing earlier this week, Opposition MPs pushed back against the ruling party’s line of questioning, arguing that content moderation should not be subject to political influence. The government has indicated that further meetings with Meta are on the slate.
